MP demands answers over jail 'danger man' gaffe

A LABOUR MP has demanded answers from prison authorities over the bungled release of Manchester Prison inmate Bobby Phipps. Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley, backed calls from the M.E.N. for a full explanation of the circumstances leading to the blunder.

A LABOUR MP has demanded answers from prison authorities over the bungled release of Manchester Prison inmate Bobby Phipps.

Graham Stringer, MP for Blackley, backed calls from the M.E.N. for a full explanation of the circumstances leading to the blunder.

Phipps, 22, is still being hunted after being mistakenly allowed to walk free last Monday while awaiting trial on six counts of attempted murder and firearms offences. Police have described him as a "danger to the public".

Mr Stringer - whose constituency includes the Strangeways jail - is demanding to know why the mistake happened, why it took so long for the Prison Service to tell the police, and whether the hunt for Phipps means police resources are being taken from other parts of Greater Manchester.

The MP is also unhappy that news of Phipps' release was not passed on to him before it was publicised in the media when Phipps had been free for four days.

Mr Stringer has written to Wythenshawe MP Paul Goggins, who has special ministerial responsibility for prisons, asking for a briefing as soon as possible.

He has requested a guarantee that the investigation results will be made public.

He said: "If it happened on Monday and the public and police weren't told until Thursday, which appears to be the case, then I think that is clearly wrong.

"I have been approached by a number of constituents who want to establish whether they are less safe because of this and what is happening to policing levels while this search is ongoing.

"I am concerned the level of policing is kept at least at the usual level and resources are not taken away from north Manchester and other parts of Manchester.

"We also need the results of the investigation to be made public so that lessons can be learned from it. People are concerned that this could happen again."

In his role as Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Correctional Services, Wythenshawe and Sale East MP Mr Goggins has particular responsibility for Prisons and the Probation Service.

Mr Stringer said he had been assured that he would be briefed about the situation in the next few days.

"I am surprised that I wasn't told about it early on because Strangeways is in my constituency," he said.

"Obviously it is going to be of concern to people if they are letting dangerous people out on to the streets."

The M.E.N. yesterday sent a list of questions to the Home Office, which included asking how Phipps was allowed to be released, why police were not informed immediately and what would be done to ensure the same thing did not happen again.

We also wanted to know how long the investigation would take and whether the results would be made public.

An inquiry has been launched by the Prison Service into Phipps' release, which is being supervised by a governor from Birmingham.

A spokeswoman for the Home Office said no one had been suspended and that publishing the findings of internal investigations was not normal practice and that it was "unlikely".